I Became the Gate Summoner Hunters Obsess Over - Chapter 15

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Ceaseless

◈ I Became the Gate Summoner Hunters Obsess Over ◈

Chapter 15: Heard the Truth. Gained an Epiphany.

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"By when should I bring you coal?"

"I'll give you my contact information, so just send me a text before you come. I'm always at Kkaebi Workshop, so bring it whenever it's convenient for you, esteemed one."

"Then I'll bring it as soon as I fill a bundle."

After exchanging contact information with the Blacksmith,

"We know each other's numbers now, don't we?"

"...? So what?"

"It just means our bond has grown a little deeper. Something like that."

"...."

Kang Yul wondered if giving the Blacksmith his number had been a mistake.

Still, considering the rarity of a dokkaebi's disciple who could create mystic artifacts, not to mention the dokkaebi club received as a gift, he decided to maintain the relationship.

"...Then our business is done, so I'll be going now."

"Why not stay a little longer...?"

"I need to mine coal."

"Well, then it can't be helped. Take care, esteemed one!"

"I'll remain. There is something else I wish to ask."

"Ah, all right. ...Wait, what? Then how am I supposed to get back? This doesn't seem like a place just anyone can come and go from."

Kang Yul recalled first stepping into this space.

Right after the sensation of crossing something passed over him, he had looked around to find that the scenery had completely changed.

It felt like he had entered a gate, yet the place somehow seemed different from one.

"Ah, that's because this is a dokkaebi territory where my master settled down."

"A dokkaebi territory...? Then is this also a kind of gate formed by a supernatural phenomenon?"

"It is supernatural, but it isn't a gate. A barrier is spread over this place, and no one can enter without permission from me or my master. It feels like a section of reality was cut out and stretched long, I suppose?"

An ordinary person would have asked, "What is that even supposed to feel like...?"

But Kang Yul could vaguely understand what the Blacksmith meant.

'Did the dokkaebi cut off this space when it settled here, then stretch it out with its own power?'

After looking around, Kang Yul came to that conclusion.

He did not know why it made sense. He did not even know what a dokkaebi's power was.

Yet the structure formed in his mind strangely clearly, and he naturally accepted it.

As if he had felt this space directly against his skin and understood it.

'I don't really know, but... is this related to my class?'

It was possible.

The explanation was too grand to feel real, but Kang Yul possessed the mana circuits of Time and Space, each of which could turn its owner into the world's greatest archmage.

He even possessed the mana circuit of Dimension, which fused the two. Perhaps it was only natural that he was especially sensitive to bizarre spaces like this.

In any case.

As he stood there blankly looking around,

"Esteemed one, is something wrong?"

"No. I was just fascinated by this space..."

When the Blacksmith spoke to him with a puzzled look, Kang Yul brushed aside his thoughts and said it was nothing.

He had received everything he came for and was preparing to leave when a question suddenly occurred to him.

"...This is a place you can only enter with permission, right?"

"That's right."

"Then what happens if someone comes in without permission?"

"Oh, that?"

The Blacksmith continued as if it were no big deal.

"You saw the road before coming here, right? You wander around there until you die and become a wraith. Then those wraiths kill other intruders and turn them into wraiths too. That repeats until they become the security system guarding the dokkaebi territory."

"Then I would have...?"

"Huh? Ah, you're fine because you came with the Thieving Cat. She has companion-entry authorization. Besides, I've already given you permission to come whenever you want, esteemed one, so you don't need to worry!"

No, that meant...

'...If Team Leader Myo hadn't been there, I could have become a wraith?'

He had nearly died without even knowing why.

Even apart from the Blacksmith, Kang Yul no longer wanted to return to this place.

#####

Thinking he could not remain in such a dangerous place any longer, Kang Yul immediately headed out through the front gate.

'Ah, this is terrifying.'

Perhaps it was because of what he had just heard.

Kang Yul's feet would not easily cross the threshold.

But only for a moment.

"Esteemed one! Just follow the path you came from! You can do it!"

The Blacksmith looked at him affectionately, as though seeing off a child on his first errand.

"Do I really need to escort you?"

Team Leader Myo gave him a contemptuous look, as if he was useless for being unable to manage even that alone.

Kang Yul decided that his embarrassment far outweighed his fear of the unknown. He kicked open the gate and fled home.

A little while later.

Just as Kang Yul's figure grew distant and finally vanished from sight,

"Haah... He really left. If I'd kept him locked up for three days or so and absorbed some of his energy, I could've made an incredible mystic artifact... Should I have found a way to keep him here after all?"

"How unbecoming. It is unpleasant to watch."

"That's only because you don't know how incredible he is. You deliberately stayed behind to ask about that, didn't you?"

The two women revealed their true attitudes as though there was no longer any need to keep up appearances.

The Blacksmith had shed her polite manner from before and spoke in her naturally casual tone, while Team Leader Myo seemed considerably less tense now that she no longer had to guard against a ticking time bomb.

"Explain."

"Who said I'd explain anything... Sigh, forget it. Why am I even talking to a shameless thieving cat like you? Come with me. I'm thirsty, so we'll talk over tea."

"You were acting coy for once. That is why."

"I know that too, so shut up and follow me, all right?"

Following the Blacksmith, they arrived at a guest reception room... no.

The reception room, or rather the storeroom.

Team Leader Myo entered and frowned before demanding,

"How is this a reception room? Did you fail to complete elementary school?"

"Thieving Cat, I don't normally entertain guests. I'm the one making things, so I hold the cards. Why would I entertain anyone? Naturally, I use the reception room as a storeroom."

"That is tyranny."

"If they don't like it, they can become a dokkaebi's disciple and a blacksmith themselves."

The Blacksmith roughly steeped tea leaves that might have been sitting in the cupboard for years, placed a cup in front of Team Leader Myo and one before herself, then began.

"So, you want to know what our esteemed one really is."

"That is correct."

"Mm... We could talk all day about this and still not have enough time, so..."

"You may simply explain the conclusion."

"Of course. I have no intention of wasting my precious time on you either. So, to give you the answer first, he is an Earth Dragon."

"An Earth Dragon... You mean the same kind as Behemoth, the supernatural lifeform that appeared overseas?"

Team Leader Myo recalled something with a deathly pale expression.

※ Access Clearance: Grade 1 or above

※ Unauthorized access or external disclosure may be punished under the Hunter Confidentiality Management Act.

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【Supernatural Lifeform

- Great Earth Dragon Behemoth】

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【Hazard Rating: S】

▪ A supernatural lifeform deemed impossible to handle even if all of humanity's military and supernatural forces are mobilized.

※ Hazard Rating S is the highest hazard rating, granted not for an individual's combat ability but only to entities that current civilization cannot independently control or eliminate.

【Observation Data】

▪ A gigantic beast-like supernatural lifeform with four legs.

The area occupied by the individual is estimated to reach approximately 3.39 million square kilometers, around 44 percent of Australia's continent and comparable in size to India.

▪ Based on a comprehensive analysis of its physical characteristics and the history and folklore of the region where it first appeared, the International Supernatural Lifeform Research Committee, or ISRC, classified the individual as most likely identical to, or the archetype of, the mythical Behemoth.

...If that was true, they could not leave it alone.

Before it caused trouble, should they not deal with it somehow, or at least confine and seal it inside another gate?

As she considered that,

"Hey, hey. Don't jump to conclusions. That's a land dragon, isn't it?"

The Blacksmith waved a hand as if telling Team Leader Myo to calm down, then continued.

"Sure, if you look only at their meanings, Earth Dragon and land dragon aren't much different. But they're still a little different. You know that supernatural phenomena often take forms influenced by a country's culture. When Koreans hear toryong, what do they think of?"

"I know it is a word meaning earthworm."

"Exactly. Our esteemed one belongs to that kind."

"Then you mean he is a kind of Worm?"

"Something like that."

Team Leader Myo looked at the Blacksmith in confusion.

Certainly, compared to Behemoth, Worms were not creatures with that degree of danger.

But if someone asked whether Worms were safe...

"...Do you know that Worms are called Gate Cleaners, or Gate Devourers?"

Team Leader Myo could confidently say no.

Worms were still among the supernatural lifeforms humanity had difficulty handling.

Yet even so,

"Do you think I don't know that? I told you, our esteemed one belongs to that category. Strictly speaking, he is a little different."

The Blacksmith continued as if it were nothing.

"Have you ever properly seen our esteemed one's right palm?"

"Not closely. I did see an orange gemstone, however."

"Right. That gemstone is the fundamental difference between a Worm and him. Among supernatural lifeforms given the name dragon, it is a mystic artifact that separates the relatively benevolent ones from the malicious ones."

"A dragon and a gemstone... Don't tell me that was a Wish-Granting Orb?"

"As expected of a representative hunter, you know a lot. That's right. It is not complete yet, but it was definitely a Wish-Granting Orb. His mother, the Earth Dragon, must have broken off a piece and given it to him. His human form is probably thanks to that orb too."

"...."

Team Leader Myo had learned a little more about what the being calling itself [Kang Yul] was, including dragons, the Wish-Granting Orb, and the mother Earth Dragon who cared for him. As she organized the relevant information in her mind, the Blacksmith watched her, took a sip of tea as though wetting her dry throat, and warned,

"So, Thieving Cat. If you're going to use the interest our esteemed one has in you, at least show him the attitude of someone who serves him with utmost devotion. If you presumptuously try to exploit him, it won't end with you alone."

"I will handle it myself."

"Do you think I'm warning you because I like you? It means that if you want to treat your poor little sister's illness, you'd better know when to back off."

At that moment,

"Be silent. Do not dare mention my younger sister with that mouth."

As if she had spoken of something forbidden, Team Leader Myo released shadows thick with killing intent toward the Blacksmith.

"Thieving Cat, do you think you can do anything to me inside a dokkaebi territory? That pathetic threat won't work, so cut it out."

The spreading shadows could not touch the Blacksmith.

It was as if an immense invisible force blocked any attack aimed at her.

The Blacksmith clicked her tongue, then continued.

"Cat, I only have one thing to say. Never think of laying a hand on our esteemed one. When that happens, it won't just be you. Everyone you have ties to will be dragged in too."

She added quietly, "Who knows? If you serve him with all your heart, he might even treat your little sister."

But Team Leader Myo had gone half mad at the mention of her younger sister, and their conversation could not continue.

"...."

"Why are you staring? If you've heard everything, get out. I need to work before our esteemed one's energy dissipates."

The next instant,

Creeeak! Thud!

Having received an order of expulsion, Team Leader Myo was no longer inside the workshop.

In less than the time it took to blink, she had been moved outside the gate.

"...."

Only after being thrown out did Team Leader Myo regain her senses and look up at the sign for Kkaebi Workshop.

The words the Blacksmith had muttered earlier.

"Who knows? If you serve him with all your heart, he might even treat your little sister."

Ding!

[Skill 'Myo Eye' activates.]

[This action will prove to be a masterstroke for you.]

Perhaps those words might be true.

Perhaps the being calling itself [Kang Yul], who had once eaten nothing but dirt, could save her younger sister.

#####

Meanwhile, after Kang Yul kicked open the gate and fled home because embarrassment from the two women's encouragement, or rather verbal abuse, outweighed his fear of the unknown,

"Worm... So much happened today. I'm exhausted. Seriously..."

Wiggle?

[Special Characteristics]

: It feels deep affection for you?

"...No. I was just complaining about my life. More importantly, how does the new dirt taste?"

Wiggle!

[Special Characteristics]

: It is happy to have found delicious dirt!

"Really? That's good."

Kang Yul blankly watched the Worm's dirt mukbang and soothed the emotional wounds suffered that day.

The Worm had burned through three bags of premium potting soil, each costing one million won, in a single mukbang.

Still, Kang Yul decided to enjoy the present, thinking he could always earn more money.

"Eat plenty and grow nice and big... No, you shouldn't grow. Just stay small like you are now."

Wiggle?

[Special Characteristics]

: It feels deep affection for you?

"It's nothing."

Kang Yul could not bring himself to say that he did not think he could find a Worm larger than a person adorable.

He did not know what retaliation the emotionally wounded Worm might bring otherwise.

In any case, as he thought that,

Wiggle?

[Special Characteristics]

: It feels deep affection for you?

: It looks at the strange dirt in confusion?

After finishing its dirt mukbang, the Worm looked around.

Then it tilted its body as it pointed at the club given by the Blacksmith.

"Ah, this? The workshop owner gave it to me, but I don't really know much about it either. I was told it's a dokkaebi club, but that it's incomplete."

Wiggle...?

[Special Characteristics]

: It deeply considers the strange dirt.

For some time afterward, the Worm kept tilting its body from side to side as it sank into thought.

Then, at some point,

Wiggle...!

It began to straighten itself as if it had realized something.

But that realization was somehow...

Wiggle!

[Special Characteristics]

: It thinks it might be able to complete the strange dirt!

"What? You think you can complete the dokkaebi club?"

...Was that even possible?

What could a Worm possibly do to complete something made by a dokkaebi?

Footnotes:

“Toryong,” translated here as “Earth Dragon,” is also a Korean word for earthworm. The dialogue contrasts it with the similar-sounding but distinct “jiryong,” translated as “land dragon.”

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